Madrid Crash, Milwaukee Brewers, and Worst-Case Scenarios

Good morning. It's Thursday, Oct. 29. A train collision in Spain has killed at least 68 people. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.

Also in today's Digest: this year's World Series champs (Need To Know), meet Pluto 2.0 (Sci. & Tech.), allegations in the Alaska Senate race (Pol. & World Affairs), and much more. 

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 Need To Know 

Spain Train Collision

A high-speed train rear-ended another about 100 miles south of Madrid yesterday, killing at least 68 people and injuring over 60 others (see photos, warning—sensitive). The accident occurred nine months after a collision involving the same operators and rail line resulted in 46 deaths. 

At around 8:30 am local time, a security system covering approximately 39 miles of tracks on the Madrid-Seville line failed due to a computer malfunction. Six trains stopped as a precaution until Spain’s central command center authorized a southbound train to proceed. It traveled roughly 16 miles at around 124 mph before crashing into a stationary train. The collision sent carriages from each down an embankment (watch aerial footage).

Travel via train accounts for around 57% of Spain’s transport, and over 90% of its network features the highest level of safety control systems in the EU. The country boasts over 2,400 miles of high-speed track, second only to China. See where the US ranks in high-speed rail length here.

Bolsonaro Arrives Stateside

Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami yesterday (w/photos) after fleeing Brazil and obtaining visas from the Trump administration. See flight path here.

The nationalist-populist senator has yet to concede Sunday’s presidential runoff to leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as the official tally recorded a loss by 4.4 million votes. After the results were announced, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passport amid ongoing criminal investigations. The court, which critics say favors the political left, accuses Bolsonaro of laundering money stolen from senior citizens and fraudulently raising money for a biopic about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro (watch leaked trailer). The elder Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after narrowly losing Brazil's 2022 election.

President Donald Trump has suggested this weekend's election was "rigged," without citing evidence. He was a close ally of the elder Bolsonaro and imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports last year in retaliation for his prosecution. 

World Series Winners

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first World Series in franchise history yesterday, defeating Tampa Bay 4-1 at the Rays’ home field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Watch the final out here (via X).

Milwaukee appeared poised for a sweep through the first three matchups. In Game 3, the Brewers set a World Series record by scoring eight two-out runs in a single inning. That offensive explosion resulted in a 10-1 victory, the largest World Series run differential since 2019. But Tampa Bay clawed out a 4-3 win in 12 innings in Game 4 to avoid the sweep. Milwaukee bounced back last night, powered by starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, left fielder Jackson Chourio, infielder Cooper Pratt, and others. Brewers catcher William Contreras was named MVP after hitting .381 with four RBIs in the series.

In addition to the Commissioner's Trophy, Milwaukee will get a Monet painting through a loan from St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts. The art directors of the cities’ museums wagered pieces from their collections on the Fall Classic. 

 In The Know 

Science & Technology

> Astronomers discover evidence of possible dwarf planet orbiting beyond Pluto; "2026 ED138" takes about 281 years to circle the sun and is roughly 370 to 930 miles wide (More) | What makes a dwarf planet different from a regular planet? (More)

> Comets likely traveled too fast and at too steep an angle to deliver molecules essential to life on Earth, according to new study (More, w/theory background) 

> Three out of four former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 likely had chronic traumatic encephalopathy—CTE—compared with 0.6% of the general population, per updated analysis (More) | How CTE happens (More, w/video)

Business & Markets

> Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady at 3.75%-4% days before Election Day; two dissenters voted to raise rates amid four-month-high inflation (More) | US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.3%) (More)

> Federal Trade Commission demands responses from Uber, Walmart, Delta, and six other companies on whether and how ‌they use consumers' personal data to determine prices, wages, and job offers (More) 

> Wendy's shares jump 15.2% on news Nelson Peltz’s hedge fund Trian Fund Management submitted $1.4B all-cash offer to buy fast-food chain and take it private (More) | Which quick-service restaurants do Americans rank highest? (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Staffers affiliated with Alaska's Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola were reportedly directed to recruit candidates named Dan Sullivan to run in order to divert votes from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK); the New York Times investigation challenges the Peltola campaign's claims it was not involved (More, free w/email) 

> Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta dies at age 96; Huerta cofounded the United Farm Workers alongside César Chávez, coined the slogan “sí se puede” (“yes we can”) before accusing Chávez of sexual assault this year (More)

> At least three documents from the Justice Department's investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein indicate the files included classified information, report finds (More) 

 Explore 

Relatively unknown outside Silicon Valley a decade ago, Sam Altman has quickly become one of the world's most influential figures.

> Before ChatGPT, OpenAI was trouncing humans in video games.

> Inside the 2023 battle where Altman was briefly fired from OpenAI.

> Is the use of AI making us dumber? (podcast)

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